Mormon Convert

Thomas Smith

Thomas was a former Mormon missionary turned Protestant minister who was received into the Catholic Church in 1996. Thomas lives on his family ranch in southeastern Idaho.

Born a 6th generation Mormon (LDS), I was convinced I was part of the "only true Church on the face of the earth" (Doctrines & Covenants 1:30). As we believed that only Mormons had the gift of the Holy Spirit and that the rest of the world was groping in the darkness for truth, I was equally convinced I was responsible to share our faith at every opportunity. Like many 19-year-old men, I was called by the Mormon prophet to be a missionary for two years in the southern United States, the buckle of the Bible belt, and was excited about winning converts to my faith. In the end, my missionary experience, led me to the conclusion that the Mormon claims could not stand the scrutiny of reason and Divine Revelation.

It's impossible to communicate all the mounting evidence and experiences that led me to abandon the faith of my fathers, but let me relate a few examples. One day, while knocking on doors in a very poor area of Alabama, my companion and I came upon a sagging shack badly in need of repairs. We knocked on the door and were greeted by the bright eyes of an older African-American woman in her 70s or 80s. We told her we had a message about Jesus that we would like to share with her. As someone who loved Christ, she welcomed us into her humble home. As was our practice, we asked if she would like us to begin with prayer or if she may like to pray. As you can imagine, 99% of the time, people would agree to let us offer that prayer. This time it was different. She quietly bowed her head and began to pray.

I remember distinctly, as I heard her praying to God, I thought if I looked up I would see Him sitting next to her on her worn couch. This was not just her God, but also her best friend. Her dearest companion who had seen her through a lifetime of suffering and prejudice. As her intimate conversation continued, I grew afraid, because I knew when she finished, I was expected to share with her a message about Jesus, but I knew that she really "knew" him, while I may only know about him. I wanted that kind of intimacy she shared with her Creator, but for me God was distant and demanding.

This simple experience didn't square with what I had been taught. Here was a non-Mormon who knew God in a way I could only imagine. It opened the door for me to begin a conscious and careful re-examination of my faith. In other equally important moments, Christians shared with me how Jesus Christ has changed their lives, healed their marriages, and delivered them from drug addictions. I could have argued how to interpret a particular New Testament verse for hours, but I could never argue with them about how the Lord had touched and transformed their lives. Thirdly, Christians took the time to point out verses in the Bible that seemed to clearly contradict Mormon teaching.

For example, Mormons believe in the existence of many gods in the universe, the god of this world being one among many. But the Word of God clearly proclaims there are no gods but the God revealed in Divine Revelation, He is the first and the last (Isa 44:6, 24; 45:5, 18). I heard the scriptural maneuverings that fellow Mormons used to deny the meaning of these verses, but for me they were clearly confirming monotheism.

I remember now these and dozens of moments culminated in me falling to my knees one night in our little missionary apartment and crying out to God, "Heavenly Father, all I want is the truth. If the truth is in Mormonism, I will serve you until my dying day here. If the truth is somewhere else, give me the courage to face what that will mean for me." That prayer fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life. I was ready to accept wherever truth would lead me.

Ultimately, I left the Mormon Church, but like many fellow Mormons who have ceased to believe the claims of the LDS Church, I floundered. Was there a God at all? Is there an objective truth or is it all subjective? When you have been deceived for so many years, it is hard to trust anyone. Again, I prayed that God would help me find someone to talk to about my crisis of faith.

I was in Provo, Utah (one of the most densely populated Mormon cities in the U.S.), and opened the paper that day to find a little ad about a Christian bookstore. I felt God's peace and decided to visit it that day. It was staffed by a smiling bearded little man behind the counter. I wandered around for a few minutes, and then promptly vomited my story on this unsuspecting little store manager. It felt like such a burdened lifted to tell someone of my journey. His response was unexpected. He practically did cartwheels across the bookstore. You see, he was a missionary too. A missionary to Mormons.

He had left a lucrative job in New York to answer God's call on his life to staff a Christian bookstore in the heart of Mormonism and provide a "safe place" for them to come and explore their doubts, and the truth about God. He was there for someone just like me. Tony led me to the Christ of Sacred Scripture, discipled me in Christian growth, and baptized me a Christian in a little lake south of town. I eventually became very involved as a new Christian, and to make a long story short was ordained a minister in the Missionary Baptist denomination, a largely African-American sect.

It was that same community in the south, that had so faithfully witnessed Christ to me, and I was welcomed with open arms into several faith families. As you can imagine, as a former Mormon, I had a heart to help other Mormons, especially missionaries, to share in my discoveries. I began to actively seek them out, and would simply engage them in respectful dialogues that encouraged them to use their reason and explore the Word of God. I knew the Sacred Scriptures were a living reality, and had the power, along with clear Christian witness, to lead them to the truth if they were disposed to God's grace.

Many of these discussions led to often-heated discussions about the doctrine of the Trinity, a teaching as I mentioned above, is rejected by Mormons. They have what I call a "Dan Brown approach" to Church History that believes that Catholics "invented" the Trinity at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. I wanted to show them that not only was the Trinity revealed in Sacred Scripture but believed and taught by the earliest Christians from the very beginning up to that fourth century council. To do that, I scoured libraries and electronic sources for early Christian writings, and discovered as so many Catholic converts before and after me, the Church Fathers. Not only did I find a clear and constant witness to the central truth of the Trinity, but a whole series of eye-opening teachings: Marian devotion, prayers to saints, the reservation of relics, a Church hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons, and most importantly, the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

I was overwhelmed, always believing that these distinctly Catholic teachings were medieval developments. Now I stood at another crossroad. I questioned whether I had the courage and resolve to follow through on what I was learning. By God's grace, I committed myself to that prayer for truth I had prayed while a Mormon missionary.

I worked with a Catholic man who lived his faith openly, a person of virtue and infectious joy, so I began to pepper him with questions and concerns. Kelly didn't always have the answers for me, but he always found them and returned to me with a book, brochure or cassette tape. He told me about RCIA, a way of systematically learning about the Catholic faith, and invited me to my first Mass.

Again, like many converts, I was struck in my first Mass how I was being transported to the banks of the Jordan and confessing with John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world," I was joining the triple-cry of God's holiness from Isaiah 6, I was confessing with the centurion the Lord's power to heal me if he would only speak the word. I was ushered into the heavenly liturgy of Revelation chapters 4, 5 and 8.

In a word, I was home.

I remember on the night of Easter Vigil, 1996 standing in my white robe, candle in hand by the Vigil fire in joyful anticipation of what would soon occur, my full welcoming into a new spiritual home and the reception of Christ in the Eucharist. God carried my heart and mind back to that little missionary apartment so many years before where I had prayed that desperate prayer. I would have never imagined that my cry for Truth would have led me to this moment. But God also whispered to my soul that ultimately Truth was not just correct theology, Truth was a Person (John 14:6). And if that's true, there is no place to experience Truth more profoundly and intimately that when we receive the Eucharist.

In a burst of love, on altars all over the world, Truth steps out of heaven's courts, humbles himself in a host and chalice. He displays his love for us, not simply in inviting us to a meal, but becoming our food, so that he might enter us and change us from the inside out. I can't begin to thank God for his faithfulness to me in my journey, but I can express my gratitude by telling everyone I can about this Gift, and being ready always to give an answer to anyone who asks me of the Hope that is within me! (1 Peter 3:15).

Thomas is a repeat guest on EWTN and Catholic radio as well as a sought after parish mission and conference speaker. He is the co-author of "Adventures in Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come" and an international presenter for the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. He has taught as an adjunct professor at the St. Francis School of Theology in Denver, and is the former Director of the Denver Catholic Biblical School and the Denver Catechetical School. You can learn more about Thomas and his apostolate at www.gen215.org.

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Thomas, A fabulous story. I really feel like you. I am coming home to the truth. I was a "mormon" born, bred but really not believing since I was a college student. Like so many I would have been thought active. now I am a catechumen I feel a spirit I have never known . Your story will move many

Fantastic story...it is my hope that your story reaches every Mormon worldwide. Why not reach everyone searching whatever their faith might be, including Catholics who are weak in their faith. I wish you much success in your works.

Thank you for this bueatiful conversion story. I am a cradle Catholic. I continue
growing in God's love and presence in my daily life and know that life without the
Eucharist would be really sad. My husband is a convert and say's how if the
world new the truth about the chuch founded by Jesus Christ and his true presence in the Eucharist that you would not be able to get to the church on
Sunday mornings because there would be major traffic jams..This is so true.
May God continue to bless you on your jouney. Thanks for sharing...

My wife and I were received into the Holy Roman Catholic Church six and a half years ago following a year of visiting our Parish and two years of RCIA. What a beautiful experience!! We were Mormons. I am 78 years old and was brought up as a Mormon, baptized when I was nearly 10 years old. We lived on a cattle ranch in Wyoming far from town and never went to church until I entered high school. I was active in the Mormon Church when we were in town to attend school, went to university for four years and then accepted the urging of the local Mormon Bishop to go on a mission. That mission sent me to the deep south and I really threw myself into the mission work. After release from the two year mission I enlisted in the Air Force and served 27 years retiring in 1985. Throughout those years and after retirement I served in a variety of positions - teacher of various classes, Elders Quorum leader, Counseler in a Bishopric, Stake High Council,ect. I had always had some questions about certian Mormon doctrines and did not receive adequate answers. My wife was a convert to Mormonim, my last baptism as I finished my two year mission. She did not have a really strong belief but went along because the Church was important to me. We listened to Protestant preachers and attended a Church of God in Sacramento, CA at times because we were not happy with the lack of reverence in the Mormon Church nor the message at times. After moving to the Palm Desert area of California in 2001 we attended the Easter Mass at St. Francic of Assisi Catholic Church on Easter Sunday 2002. It was just overwhelming!! The Choir, the Priest's Easter homily and the sprinkling of Holy water!! We were in tears throughout the Mass. We began to visit, then began to read true history about the Mormon church and disertations on the flaws in Mormon theology and teaching. I gradually lost the conviction that Joseph Smith was any kind of true prophet and the Holy Spirit worked with me and I was certian that I was "coming into the light". We eagerly proceeded throught RCIA with great anticipation of our baptism into the Catholic Church.. It was a glorious experience and I have felt complete peace and comfort with this decision, and feel so much better putting my complete trust for salvation in Jesus Christ.

In a burst of love, on altars all over the world, Truth steps out of heaven's courts, humbles himself in a host and chalice. He displays his love for us, not simply in inviting us to a meal, but becoming our food, so that he might enter us and change us from the inside out.

Great story, Thomas. My wife was also LDS. She went through RCIA about 16 years ago. If you are ever in Salt Lake City stop by and say hello at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. God bless you! Deacon John Kranz

I have read your story but am not impressed. I guess it is easier to be a protestant or a Catholic but you seemed to have drifted because you put the scriptures to rest. I believe if you read the Book of Mormon on a consistent basis you would have to recognize that this book is divinely inspired. I cannot convince you nor can I.
Most people have a very superficial understanding of what the Church is. It takes a lot of study and prayer. I don't think the members are perfect but not to recognize all the evidence that is before you boggles my mind. I am speechless and do not have any advice for you because it would not be taken.
Just wish you the best.

If only more people realized Mormonism is the worship of other gods. If only they realized in the mainstream that Mormonism is NOT Christianity. If only people understood the difference between the non-Christian Mitt Romney and the fully Catholic Christian, Rick Santorum. Thank you, Thomas, for sharing your journey to Rome. Keep getting the word out so more people will know and understand the difference between Christianity and Mormonism.

I am a cradle Catholic who grows in my love and appreciation for the Catholic Church founded by Christ day by day. I truly enjoyed reading this story of conversion so sincerely and well written. However, I take issue with Merry Deutscher comparing negatively Mitt Romney with Rick Santorum. I believe Mitt Romney has led an upright, disciplined and faith-filled life. To imply that he is not a good person because you do not see him as Christian is, in my opinion, unfair. We have good friends who are Mormons and we'd love to see them enter into the fullness of faith which is the Catholic Church, but they are great citizens, great family people, and very generous. It is not for us to judge the relative "Christianity" of the presidential candidates.

Bev,
Let's give Merry the benefit of the doubt. Nothing of Mr. Romney's character was being attacked...which is how you seem to be equating the definition of Christianity-Christian behavior. Merry may actually just be pointing out the Fact that Romney doesn't worship the same God as Christians do. One may exhibit Christian behavior but not be a Christian...for example, athiests can be pro-life and charitable but yet, it is correct to call them "not Christian".

Mairin-
I get your point and I don't pretend to know all the tenets of the Mormom faith, but it is my understanding that Mormons do believe in Jesus Christ as God and do believe in the truth of the Bible. So why are we even questioning Mitt Romney's faith as a potential disqualifier for the presidency? I just pray we have a president in 2013 that acknowledges God's laws- unlike what we have now.

I stumbled across this article on Spirit Daily, an excellent source for spiritual and Christian news that I check often. Of late they seem to be running some sort of anti-Mormon story just about every other day, which I assume stems from their (not so subtle) support for Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign.

One of the most intriguing thing one finds when one dives into the whole “are Mormons Christian?” question is a major problem: the Mormons and their detractors disagree on what Mormons actually believe. Mormons often can’t recognize their own faith in what their detractors claim they believe and their opponents simply insist that they (the Mormons) are lying to deceive people. Looking to former Mormons to cut through this fog usually does little to clarify things. People who leave a religion often have an axe to grind; learning about Mormonism from people who have left it for Catholicism makes as much sense as learning about Catholicism from people who have left it for Mormonism: both groups have (at the very least) an agenda.

It is a staple of anti-Mormon polemics that Mormons are polytheists. This is not true, at least not in the eyes of Mormons.

The LDS reject the doctrine of the Trinity as they understand it. Along with many Protestants or Catholics, if pressed to define Trinitarianism Mormons will usually describe something like “Sabellianism”, which teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are merely different aspects of the same God. Sabellianism is officially classified as a heresy, but it is the understanding that many people “in the pews” have of the Trinity. So to begin with, most Mormons have an incorrect understanding of what Trinitarianism is, a mistaken understanding that they often glean from their non-LDS neighbours.

Mormons believe in a God (or, “Godhead”, as they refer to it) that has three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Spirit). From here, they diverge from traditional Christianity. Mormons believe that these three are three separate personages as well, with the Father and Son both having physical bodies and the Holy Spirit being a personage of Spirit. They also believe that man has the potential to become a “god” in the eternities, through the atonement of Christ and by obedience to God. While these “gods” become divine, they never become divine in the same sense as the three persons of the “Godhead”. This parallels the Eastern Orthodox belief in “theosis”. This belief died out in the Western church, but was expressed by many Church Fathers (e.g. “God was made man that we might be made god”, Athanasius of Alexandria.). It is from this that the charge of “polytheism” comes. While Thomas Smith certainly has good intentions, he knows full well that he was never taught true polytheism in Primary, in Sunday School, in Seminary, in Sacrament Meetings or in the Temple ceremonies. And while he may now interpret Mormon theology as “polytheistic” from his new vantage point, that is a reflection of him, and not a reflection of what your average Mormon is taught or believes.

So, are Mormons “Christian”? I suppose it depends on how one defines that term. But I would encourage anyone who is interested in the topic to determine what Mormons believe and teach themselves, and not to depend on sources that are opposed to them. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that many of these same sources considered Roman Catholicism to be some sort of idolatrous “cult”…. And to bash and bear false witness against a faith simply to gain advantage in a presidential election is simply wrong.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED CATHOLIC. I LOVE MY RELIGION. I ALSO RESPECT ALL PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD WHETHER THEY ARE FELLOW CATHOLICS OR NOT. I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO LOOK AT THE SIMILARITIES AND NOT THE DIFFERENCES WHEN IT COMES TO DIFFERENT RELIGIONS. I AM VOTING FOR MITT ROMNEY BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS AS A PERSON. HE IS A VERY GOOD PERSON AND HE CARES A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE UNITED STATES. AND TO YOU THOMAS I SAY WELCOME TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH. I LOVE READING ST. TERESA OF AVILA, ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA AND ALL THE SAINTS. I JUST BOUGHT ST. ANTONY OF THE DESERT BY ST. ATHANASIUS. READ THE SAINTS!

Being a faithful Catholic is not easier than being a faithful Mormon. Both should require a total commitment of soul, mind, and body to Christ and his Church. There is less choice and freedom in Mormonism about how to serve than in Catholicism, maybe that is what you are mistaking for ‘easier’.

I was raised Mormon, served and honourable mission, married in the temple, even worked for the Church for several years. I will also be baptized a Catholic this Easter. Becoming Catholic was the hardest thing I have ever done. I had to quit my job (employed by the Church at the time), had to sell my home and move out of Utah for employment, had to invest countless hours in prayer and study to understand Catholic belief and practice, and most importantly, almost lost my wife and children who remain LDS and cannot understand why I am doing this. Don’t talk to me about easy. Would you give up everything to follow God even if it meant financial ruin, divorce, and the loss of respect of those closest to you?

On the Book of Mormon, I have read it at least 10 times. The more familiar I became with the Bible and American history, the more implausible the Book of Mormon appeared. It is clearly a product of its time and place as any unbiased observer would have to conclude. And yes, I am familiar with FAIR, Nibley, and LDS apologetics. Sorry, but the simplest explanation for the Book of Mormon is that it is a fraud. Once you are willing to admit that possibility to yourself it becomes blindingly obvious.

May God give you the grace to discern His truth and the moral courage to follow it.

The Orthodox themselves do not see any similarities between theosis and exaltation. You can find an article on this at the OrthodoxWiki site. And the doctrine of theosis did not die out in the Western Church. It has always been a part of Catholic teaching. From the current Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature": "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God." "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."

On polytheism, Mormons have had differing views over the years. Its hard to interpret Joseph Smith's King Follet discourse or some of the stuff in the Journal of Discourses as anything but polytheistic. On the other hand, modern Mormon teaching seems to have moved away from those earlier beliefs and has become somewhat closer to orthodox Christianity.

Thank you Thomas for sharing your beautiful story. I was raised LDS but stopped going to church there at age 14. I met my future husband shortly after and he was from a large Catholic family. We later married. Our marriage was very troubled and I remembered my marriage vows taken in the Catholic Church, that for any marriage to be strong, Christ needed to be present. I knew my husband would never agree to get marriage counseling through the Mormon Church and even though he never went to the Catholic masses ever, I decided to learn about Catholicism and see if that would help our marriage. It didn't. But it was the greatest spiritual transformation of my life and my greatest gift. I became Catholic and divorced my husband and my parish priest was incredibly supportive through all of it. We had two daughters together who I am raising Catholic and I thank my loving Jesus Christ for His mercy and love every day. You were so right about Catholicism connecting reason with faith. Mormomism asks you to check your reasoning at the door. Odd, since He created us in His image.

This was a fascinating read. I teach quite a few Mormons, and I am always struck by their being better "Christians" than many of the other Christians and Catholics around them. It is good to hear, however, of someone that followed Truth and eventually came ot know Jesus in the Eucharist!

Sources say that Jesus has to die again now.Even God is unhappy , his only son is being sent to earth to die again & again.

The whole heaven is filled with enmity now .....communities are fighting for the body of christ.

Hey i cannot believe what i just saw in heaven, contradictory to the first line mentioned in this letter.

"Blessed are the people who worship Jesus on this earth, but are being called for Eternal Judgement rather than Eternal Salvation"

Ohhhhhhh it was a very horrible dream , but good it was only a dream....otherwise the number would have increased to 66,000.

What are we doing brothers & sisters and why we are doing it ....this is the question asked to each one of us.

The body of Jesus is being contionously divided and the blood of Jesus is being scattered like a blood of a lamb slaughtered at a butcher's den.

Is this is what Jesus really wants......Noooo . Be CAREFUL rather , Cos at the day of Eternal Judgement. Jesus might say.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?" Matthew 7:21-22

Quoting from the Bible itself , which has been the major tool for some communities to DIVIDE AND RULE

Salvation thru Faith is a grace of GOD , but is it Faith , the only instrument to have salvation . hmmmm than there should be only one commandment in the Bible. LOVE THE LORD GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART , MIND AND SOUL . But Jesus has given a second commandment also ...LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR ALSO AS U LOVE YOUR SELF.... It seems the second commandment is not applicable for some communities.

The question is " The devil also believes and has faith in Jesus that thru his sacrifice on the cross , Jesus has redeemed the world , so is devil granted a place in heaven.

The answer is noooo.....The devil inspite of having faith in Jesus cannot do GOOD WORKS which is essential for our salvation and that is the second commandment of Jesus. Faith and Good works are neccessary for our salvation.

We live in a modern world and man is filled with constant ideas...but we still live on traditions. It is traditions that we come across historical truths.....the passover festivals were held both in the old testament and new testament.

The successions of the apostles were needed to build the church, had the succession not needed ,than Mathias would not have been succeeded in Judas place .

Let us come togather to reunite the body of Jesus with a common doctrine, with a common worship and be humble in our behaviour for not everyone is called to interpret his own beliefs but rather share the same belief which is universal.

The time has come that we shud pray for the lost sheeps in the world who have gone away from us ,bcos it is only the holy spirit to convince these sheeps to come into truth and not humans to convince them. As Jesus said "If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’" Lk 16:19-31 .

Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on
other websites? I have a blog based on the same information you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information.
I know my readers would value your work. If you're even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

inspiring story, indeed. as a converting former elca lutheran turning catholic, it's nice to hear another's similar, although also very different, journey to Christ's Church. i've never before felt the peace, comfort, and connection back through history to Christ that i feel in the Catholic Church.

Welcome to the Catholic religion! We Catholics are so glad you joined in! I just cannot tell you how concerned I am about the Mormon belief that we can all become gods! After all, I have not forgotten the first commandment. It is "I am the Lord your God. You shall honor no other god but Me." Therefore, what good is there in attempting to become another god if love for another god is strictly forbidden? There is absolutely no good in that at all! Once again, welcome to the Catholic religion! I will be sure to share your inspiring story with my Catholic boyfriend!

Well well well some mormo s leve the faith and mo e in different directions specially to born again christians a nd all concide in the exact same things: did. Not know christ,they were overwelmed with the commandments (too hard to live them) ,doubts of the doctrine and found a bigeer and. Better world. O e that freed them yes they moved tothe one tbat christ reffered in bis tea ings from the narrow path to the wide one . is there anything sorprissing about this ? No nothing. That is supposed to happen and the reason for that is this all this folks never read or studied their faith they lived it by tradition. ,How do i know this? Because of tbeir own testimonies and stories how sad . I am a mormo. Convert who has gone thru all of these challenges myself which pushed me to really get deep i to studying my. Ew faith and tben the catholic and protesta t faiths to see whT they had to offer just to be sure that in fact the LDS church is what it claims to be and surprisingly. I found exactly that it is what it claims to be because the catholic church. Can never trace or prove the succesion no matter what they. Do , they just cant. Because there is not such thi g the early church ende the ro.ans a d the jewis helped to acco.plish this killing the real authorized diciples of. Christ if not jus read the catechism. About "authority" the so called bishops inhereted in a form of a letter from the apostles. To be incharged of the flock jeje how silly the tradition for appointi g the successors of the apostles was never like that ,nor was it transmitted from apostle to bishop jeje again just co sider this if the apostles could not prevail against the romans and the jewish elders. Could the bishops? Jeje the answer is of course not if dont believe read history even when the ro.ans did all. What they could to distroy the evidence there are some sources tha reveal it this way . they even. Dragged the last bishops in Antioch. And. And other cities and replaced them with the new roman appointees. In fact the ro.an church was formed a couple of years after christ death same thing happened with the. Cannon it was brought t light after all the pagans gave the ok after they made sure that they said whT they wanted them to say ;why do uou think the roman church burned the early folks who attempet. Have a copy of the manuscripts? For the same reason why from a persecuted church did it became a persecutors. Church. Not the same church dont be confussed if not ask christ. Jeje i have studied the catholic faith from as far as i have found evidence and all history points. In this direction. Now is the lufe of a catholic (i am talking in general here)Better than the one of a mormon? Not quite . catholics who convert to mormonism became better in all aspects of life but i doubt that a good mormon will ne better turning in to a catholic if not look our society , Look at brazil peru frane or any other country were the catholic church is majority jeje. Just look the currebt siuation in mexico,check all the presidents of the country and the former ones they are all catholics who attend mass in other words catholics in good standing before their church. Arent they all thieves , dishonest adulteresl, killing their own catholic brothers stilling from the poor and the widow ? And what can we say from their priests or religios. Leaders? The same exact thats why they arw who they arw and do what they do if they were mormons they would not do all this period so why dissenters who failed to obey Gods coman dments and Gods true prophets want to pull the happy. Kormons and turn them in to catholics? the answer is simple to accomplish the devil's work in this last days. They want the Good to turn in to evil as simple as that so watch out good mormons the fight is real . spirutual warefere. Remember the scriptures in the new testament? Be. Alert it is real . i was never a catholic my parents never joined any religion nor they pusshed one on to us thank God i chose by my self when i had disertment and thank God there is still evidence in history to research and anove all the holy spurit to disernent to me by research and conviction the only true church is the one that Christ restored not the one that. Constantine Formed. After. Disolving the early true church. Succession is a lie in frontof the eyes of those who just believe by faith or by reading the history of the unauthorised. 4 century pagans. And remember the. That. Comanded to define gods nature was not christ nor the early apostles bu constantine who by the way was not christian and if. ... If was baptized. Christian was until. His death but i still doubt it thats a claim of the roman church it self . so good luck all those who are not careful and are like sheep innocent ,following those who seem to be instructed because they are the blinded ones of which christ spoke of. If not ask yourself to God of course the evil denies that is not by feelings of the. Holy ghost how one. Dicerns thrut of course i encourage study histoy as far as you can. And you will see who lies. If the mormosn or the catholics the rest of the so caled christinas movements . dont worry a bout them. Just concentrate in finding who is the true church lLds Or catholics .and if you do the homework properly you will end up becoming an LDS. I promise.

Please bear in mind the following information which you can find independently for verification...

(1) Joseph Smith's own mother recounted how his young son had a vivid imagination, and would spend hours and days playing around the ancient native American burial mounds and had developed and told stories as if he personally knew them and lived among them.

(2) Joseph Smith was later convicted for fraud (the actual record of his fraud conviction was found in 1971 when clearing and organizing the basement in the very courthouse where he was convicted in the late 19th century (a certified facsimile from the courthouse of that record can be obtained). The case revolved around his claims to be able to use special looking stones to find treasure and gold mines. He would take the money of gullible prospectors and point them to useless locations that neither had gold or treasure.

(3) The hypothesis for the lost tribes of Israel having come to the Americas and seeded the Native Americans is not a new hypotheses before Joseph Smith's time. Other Theologians and Crackpot archeologists had speculated such a hypothesis and wrote early books about it before Joseph Smith ever wrote one word of the Book of Mormon. Later testimonies by those whom supposedly had seen the gold tablets (which were selected among his friends and family members by the way) were admitted to have said that Joseph Smith had their testimonies pre-written so they could just sign it for him. They admitted that they did not actually see the tablets in the physical sense as one would see a pencil, but were convinced by Joseph Smith to see them in the spiritual sense, after much fervent prayer and spiritual exercises.

(4) Joseph Smith was nearly illiterate and relied on others to dictated his "translations" for him. When he dictated his first 134 pages, his follower (now living with him at that time) was so excited that he showed his wife. She either hid them or destroyed them as works of the devil. Then she challenged him that if they were truly inspired and were dictated from real golden plates, that he just go back and have them translated again. Joseph Smith responded with some elaborate story as to why he could not reproduce exactly the same 134 pages of "translated" plates again, but came back with an altered version that was quite different from before, but carried similar themes.

(5) Joseph Smith faced a lot of persecution... FROM EARLY MORMONS THEMSELVES... for stealing their wives and their money.

(6) Unlike the stories in the Bible, not one shred of modern archeology supports any story whatsoever in the Book of Mormon or that the Niphites, Leminites, or any of third group ever existed. Nor can any genuine connection be made whatsoever to the Aztec or Mayan civilizations (besides the map and orientation would be all wrong in this case). Yes, there were stones with odd inscriptions (that for the longest time the LDS claimed were genuine artifacts) were later tested with modern equipment and chemical analysis at Brigham Young University and found out to just be 19th century forgeries. Additionally, a man did come forward and claimed responsibility for the forgeries.

(7) Modern archeology, anthropology, linguistic forensics, and DNA test results demonstrate that there was a diversified group of prehistoric Asians that came to the Americas that seeded the Native Americans. Speciation (which is the process by which there are adaptive biological changes within a species according the their environment, needs, and exposure to micro organisms that affect DNA strands), along with alterations, and exchanges in recessive and dominate genes, and the introduction of white Vikings into the gene pool in 600 AD on the East coast were responsible for the various tribes found throughout the Americas.

(8) The LDS church goes to great lengths to cover-up and bury any facts that could reveal the truth about the fraudulent or questionable activities of their founders and their organization. A case in point: An early 1980's scandal broke out where the LDS church was buying up records at a cost of a least US$20,000 dollars PER DOCUMENT that appeared to verify the truth of their church history which seemed rather damning or very controversial. It turned out that one of their own members was forging these very convincing documents and blackmailing them into paying his high prices. After his forging hand was ruined in an explosion from an attempted murder on another LDS member (because he could not reproduce the McClellan collection), he was arrested, investigated, and sent to prison for life. Then the LDS church discovered that they already had the McClellan collection which the forger failed to produce as he claimed he had in his possession.

(9) Two main books (although there are many others that can be pointed to) which are well known that also claim revelations from Jesus are "The Course In Miracles" and "The Koran". Also, many people in the Occult also claim channeled revelations from Jesus. But after careful consideration and comparison with the Christian Holy Scriptures and what they say about Jesus - Do we accept them as really from Jesus or by divine revelation? Of course not! Why? Because truth does not contradict itself - not ever! Lying spirits and devils can and do appear to people as angels of light as a mode of deception. How do we know the spirit of error from the spirit of truth? They do often contradict themselves and often pervert the true message of Christ. Each one of these supposed "divine revelations" always conflict with each other and with what Jesus is known to have said in the scriptures and will often dilute or claim some novel message of the gospel and what Jesus really meant (but when followed will ultimately lead to ones own damnation).

To know true Latter Day Saints history and their genuine archival documents is to cease to be Mormon.

One can find in early Official LDS Covenants and Doctrines that Joseph Smith makes several prophesies which can be shown to have never come to pass by the implied time he asserts they will happen. What do we call a person who makes prophesies but that do not occur?

It is written that you shall know the spirit by its fruits.

In other words, if someone's prophesies fail, they are relegated to be not prophets of God but anti-Christs.

I would urge you to look at work by Jim Whitefield, former Bishop of the LDS whom has produced an excellent treatise (The Mormon Delusion Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) on the errors of the Latter Day Saints Church which include documented cases of fraud, Ponsi-schemes, and efforts to suppress revealing information about her truth of being wrought with error, distortions, and scandals. That information can be found here: http://www.themormondelusion.com/

WARNING: Neither publications are approved by the Catholic Church for publication and both are Atheists now (no affiliation implied by me by stating such). However, they do a rather excellent scholarly work at exposing the LDS Church so that they are caught naked with no where to hide, and you have nothing but their embarrassing naked truth to see (which they have so jealously guarded against public knowledge for so long).

In response to Gilberto who wrote a pretty incoherent post, but the last part was somewhat understandable: "If the mormosn or the catholics the rest of the so caled christinas movements . dont worry a bout them. Just concentrate in finding who is the true church Lds Or catholics .and if you do the homework properly you will end up becoming an LDS. I promise."

Wow, so many typos, I'm wondering if he wrote this from a cellular phone or if he's just really bad at typing. SPELLECHECK man! Use Spellcheck! Anyways, reading the Book of Mormon will NOT, I repeat, will NOT, lead you to knowing the truth about Mormonism or the truth about Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is a work of fiction that Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon plagiarized from other sources (View of the Hebrews, the Spalding Manuscript, and the Bible).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Book_of_Mormon

Tom, I a little saddened by your report. Being raised Catholic and having found The Church of Jesus Christ as an answer to prayer, I would expect you not to look down on the faith of your fathers.

I have deep respect for the Catholic faith. Its principles brought me to the Church of Jesus Christ and being very good friends with some devout people of all faiths, I feel for you. Because you really were lied to when you were told that God was limited to the boundaries of our church, even though those people were really thinking that was the case. There is no scriptural or real life experience backing this up and I am sure that is what hurt so much.

However, I chose to become LDS and I have been an active member for 20 years because I keep receiving answers to my prayers and getting closer to God through the teachings of the prophets some have criticized in these comments. I receive answers to all the questions I pray about and I am daily blessed for my service in the church. I have a profound conviction of what we are taught not because I am stubborn, but because I have again and again tested it. It is statistically impossible for something wrong to work well every time for 20 years.

Having said that however, I do not judge you for your decision. I believe everyone has their own journey towards God and if you are true in your quest you will eventually come to the knowledge you saw that old lady possess. I pray that you do not replace the awareness of not knowing your Saviour by the comfort of being told that whatever you have is okay. Because it is not -- we are to gain that closeness by every day searching, pondering and loving Him and those he has surrounded us with.

May God bless you and bring you closer to Him in whatever way that makes sense to you.

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